


burn down the world (to get to you)

by lilacpeonies (tangledintime)



Series: our joy [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: (bc it's mentioned), ???? debateable, Alpha Mark Lee (NCT), Alpha Suh Youngho | Johnny, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Everyone Needs A Hug, Forbidden Love, Hopeful Ending, Illegitimacy, M/M, Omega Lee Taeyong, Post Mpreg, Taeyong needs a hug, with some Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:00:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26290777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tangledintime/pseuds/lilacpeonies
Summary: “taeyong, would you like to dance?”there is a few moments of shock, before taeyong’s face softens and he nods, taking johnny’s hand and lets himself be swept away.and that is how their dance began.
Relationships: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Qian Kun, Lee Taeyong/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Series: our joy [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1593532
Comments: 5
Kudos: 77





	burn down the world (to get to you)

**Author's Note:**

> tw // use of the term bastard to describe an illegitimate child. 
> 
> also post mpreg. if you don't like it then i suggest exiting and reading many of the other fics that don't deal with this topic.
> 
> thank you to all who checked out the first part of the series, which you would need to read for this to make sense.

_3 years ago_

_the servants quarters were alight on the night of the annual lee manor banquet._

_the cook was shouting orders to the waiting staff about how to handle the food. the kitchen maid was collecting more wood for the fire roaring upstairs. the maids are washing the masters clothes. johnny is not downstairs. he is upstairs buttoning the shirt of the lord of the house. the man is muttering under his breath, a speech about mending bridges but johnny doesn’t care to know. he’s not meant to know anyway. all he has to do is make the lord look presentable and that’s it._

_“johnny.” lord lee says, as johnny is opening his suit jacket for him to slip into. “what does an alpha look for in an omega?”_

_the younger man blinks, shaking his head in shock. “i’m sorry, my lord?”_

_“you’re an alpha, correct?” he nods. “well then, what do you think an alpha looks for in an omega?”_

_“do you mean personally or generally.”“generally, boy.” the man snaps and johnny is quick to lower his head as he comes back around to face him._

_as he fixes the suit jacket, he says. “well, i would think alpha’s look for an omega that is devoted to them. that takes care of the house, and can give them healthy heirs.” but he doesn’t really mean it. to him, he wants an omega who loves him for him. who doesn’t care about his social or financial status. who will love him endlessly for who he is. he doesn’t care about heirs, he just wants children to love and see grow up. even if he doesn’t leave service until the day he dies. he wants a family._

_but he doesn’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon._

_“good, i sought that out in my wife, i’m glad everyone shares the same values. tonight is a big night for my eldest son. we’re hoping to discuss engagements with a certain man.”_

_lord lee’s eldest son is an omega. johnny remembers the night taeyong had presented. wendy being called from the rooms by the lady of the manor, johnny being woken by someone crying out in pain as she opened the door to run out and never closed it. the silent disappointment that hung over the house at the fact that the lords heir was not an alpha. the heavy knowledge that the heir to the manor is not going to be one of the lee children unless mark or donghyuck present as alphas._

_“i hope it works out, my lord.” johnny says, knowing not to continue the conversation. all he has to do is some finishing touches to the outfit and he doesn’t have to worry about anything else other than making sure his clothes are prepared for tomorrow and the laundry maids can take care of the dirty clothes._

_with a handkerchief tucked into his pocket and white gloves slipped on, johnny opens the bedroom door and with a swift thank you, the lord of the manor walks downstairs to meet his distinguished guests._

_a few hours pass. johnny flits around the lords bedroom, he puts away clothes and sheets, tidies his bed and makes sure his desk is spick and span awaiting the lords return. he then makes his way down to the servants quarter, where dinner is being served to the housemaids._

_“evening, mr. suh.” yongsun, the head maid, greets as she sits for her own meal. the other girls and boys nod at him in welcome and he nods back._

_kwon bo-ah, the housekeeper struts in, wiping sweat from her brow. “mr. kyungsoo, is the next dish on the way?”_

_“placing the finishing touches right now, ms. boah.” he points to the footman. “this is to be placed on the top table only,” its a plate of desserts shaped with decorative moulds. the butlers nod and take the trays away, ms. bo-ah following them. the cook looks up at johnny who gives him a greeting smile. “food’s on the table, you either get some or it’s gone.”_

_johnny takes his prescribed seat, filling his plate from the spread in front of him. it’s not as fancy as what the banquet is getting but it’s hearty and fresh and honestly johnny will take what he can get with no complaints._

_after a few minutes of sitting down and eating, the kitchen staff are seen less and less, the cook begins to calm a bit as he gets the kitchen maid, yeri to fetch certain spices or to put a certain utensil into the sink to wash later. kyungsoo wouldn’t need to do much after the dinner was over. the job would be put upon mr. heechul, the butler and his footmen to host the rest of the evening._

_“lord donghyuck said he hopes the dancing goes on all night.” nayeon, the youngest son’s maid smiles, shaking her head. “that boys head is stuck in the clouds, it’ll be a trick to get him down from them.”_

_“wouldn’t you love that luxury, being allowed to dream.” irene says, shoving a spoon of soup into her mouth. nayeon’s smile fades, returning to eating her dinner. “did his lordship say anything interesting about the banquet, mr. suh?” yeri pipes in from the kitchen._

_“yeri.” ms. bo-ah scolds when she walks in the room once more, only this time more relaxed. “what his lordship says is not something that is to be made the subject of gossip.” yeri shrinks back and takes something from kyungsoo. “dinner is over. they’ve just started the dancing.” and as if on cue he can hear the orchestra begin to play a waltz._

_“oh, i wish i could dance up there with the others.” yeri says when everything is put away. johnny smiles fondly as she twirls from the stove to the table._

_“you’d be a lovely sight, yeri.” johnny says to which she beams at him, sitting herself down and helping herself to the food still on the table. “i heard mark presented a few nights ago, yuta. how is he handling being an alpha?”_

_yuta, mark’s footman and another alpha, nodded with a chuckle. “you can tell it’s hit him that he’s the one inheriting the state. he’s never really been paid attention to and now everyone suddenly cares about him. it’s a lot to handle for a young boy like him.”_

_"i’m sure he’ll get over it fairly fast.” kyungsoo mutters. “it’s not like it’s stressful. put him down here and make him do our work, he’ll know what stress is then.”_

_johnny knows some of the servants don’t exactly think fondly about their employers. johnny can’t blame them. lord and lady lee weren’t exactly the nicest of people, johnny and irene had the joy of interacting with them every day by dressing them and helping them around the house. irene is miserable on a good day, having to do every little thing for her lady and get no thanks or even a look in return. johnny got off a bit better, but he’s still yelled at every now and then. their children are way nicer, and so the handmaids have quite less misery in their lives._

_“let him have his fun tonight. his father is no doubt going to start educating him tomorrow on how to run this house.” johnny shrugs, cleaning the last of the food off of his plate. mark has a long road ahead of him, but he’ll get there. he has to, there’s no other option for him._

_“hopefully he doesn’t give him his temper while he’s at it.” johnny nodded at yongsun’s prayer. he hopes that too._

_after dinner is eaten and the plates are washed and put away, they have about an hour free time before they go back upstairs to either clean or get the family ready for bed. in that hour, the maids gossip, kyungsoo reads, and irene polishes the jewellery the lady gave her to do before the banquet was over. johnny needed some air, so he opened the back door and decided to take a walk around the grounds._

_his breath showed in the cold air but johnny loved it. colder air always made him more awake, more fresh. he much prefers crisp, cool days of spring to warm, sticky days of summer. he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath from his nose, the cold air igniting his nostrils. the journey is quick, he didn’t want to go far anyway, and on his way back to the kitchens, he’s hit with a smell that stops him in his tracks._

_candied orange fills his nostrils. it’s fruity, zesty but has that slight caramelised smell that has him walking toward the source. as he gets closer, the sound of sniffles and heavy breathing makes him frown. “hello?” he calls out, when he sees someones back turned to him. “are you alright, sir?”_

_the boy turns around, and immediately johnny’s eyes widen, bowing. “oh my lord, i didn’t know it was you, i apologise.”_

_taeyong, the eldest lee child shakes his head at him, “please, it’s fine, don’t bow.” when johnny rises, he sees fresh tear tracks on his cheeks which makes his brow furrow even more._

_“are you alright, my lord? are you hurt?”_

_“no, i’m fine. i just need some time alone.”_

_johnny nods. “i see, if you want i could le-“_

_“no! please, don’t leave. i just needed a moment away from my family.” he scoffs. “well, my mother really.”_

_johnny nods, rocking back on his heels, the stones beneath him making a clacking sound.“has the night been fun regardless? it seems like quite the lark up there.”_

_“it was, until my date walked out.” taeyong wipes at his cheeks before loosening his tie from his neck, unbuttoning the top button. “apparently i’m not marriage material. my parents took that rather seriously.”_

_johnny remembers taeyong’s fathers words. this seemed to be important. “why would he say such a thing?”_

_taeyong sighed, leaning up against the wall of the house. above him a window is open, the jazz music in full swing. “because i chose to tell him what i want from a marriage. it seems he didn’t want the same thing.” he closed his eyes. “and now i have to listen to my parents rattle on for another hour about how i’m never going to find a husband with the mouth i have. blah, blah, blah.”_

_johnny went to join him at the wall, leaning up against it himself. “may i ask what you said?”_

_“hm?”_

_“what is it that you want from a marriage?”_

_the ebony haired omega sighed, tilting his head a bit with a sad smile. “i want to love. i want to love and be loved. but that’s not what he wanted it seems.”_

_“surely a marriage is built on love, no?”_

_“oh, sir, that is a naive thought. love comes after the marriage, and that’s being hopeful. normally you get along, have the few kids, run the estate and when the kids are grown up you live the rest of your life in separate wings of the house and have dinner on opposite ends of the dining table. that is the furthest thing from love that i can think of and i do not want it.” taeyong turns to look at johnny, his eyes glassy and so so big. “am i wrong for thinking this way, sir?”_

_“no,” he answers, a little too quickly. he’s so entranced by those cocoa brown eyes. “everyone deserves love.”_

_“_ _even me?”_

_“especially you.” his mouth utters before he can stop himself. “uh, i apologise, my lord, i spoke out of turn.”_

_“that’s alright.” taeyong giggles, looking far cheerier then he did when they first met. johnny feel a sense of warmth hearing taeyong laugh. “you work for my father, don’t you?”_

_“yes, i do. johnny, sir.”_

_“you won’t tell on me will you?” a mischievous smile sends his heart racing._

_he’s most certainly sure his face has reddened from more than the cold. “no, i am sworn to secrecy, sir.”_

_“call me taeyong then?”_

_“oh, i couldn’t my lord.”_

_“well, it’s our secret, isn’t it?”_

_that stops him in his tracks, before he laughs himself. “i suppose it is, taeyong.” that has him breaking out into a full grin and they both turn to stare at the sky above._

_there’s a comfortable silence for a few minutes before a slower song begins. johnny catches taeyong swaying to the music in the corner of his eye. he feels a bravery surge as his alpha’s attention is peaked. he stands up walks in front of taeyong, puts one hand behind him and reaches the other out._

_“taeyong, would you like to dance?”_

_there is a few moments of shock, before taeyong’s face softens and he nods, taking johnny’s hand and lets himself be swept away._

_and that is how their dance began._

— — —

he is awoken to someone shaking his shoulder.

“wha-?” he murmurs in his sleepy stupor, only to see jaehyun looking panicked. it’s still very dark out so it definitely wasn’t rising time.

“you need to get up, they’re calling all of the house staff upstairs.” and with that, he’s rushing out of the door, leaving johnny to try and blink himself awake as he dresses himself. as he buttons his waist coat, glittering gold caught his eye. the locket he had hidden in his wardrobe called to him. he collected it in his palm, opening it to see the picture of sooyoung sitting in the middle. it’s one of the only photos of her that exist and every time he gazes upon it, it makes him smile with a fondness only a father can have. he tucks it into his waist coat pocket before dressing fully. he brings it everywhere, to have her close to him in the only way he can. she’s safe, he has to remind himself, she’s with kun and ten.

when he gets upstairs, he check the clock and realises that it is nearly two in the morning. his confusion deepens further at this and when he sees all the other maids and footman looking just as confused, he assumes no one has an idea of what’s going on either.

they convene in the entrance hall where the entire lee family is waiting for them. they stand in line and heechul tells them everyone is accounted for. johnny’s eyes flit to taeyong who is trying to force away a yawn. all the lee children are in their nightwear and seem to be just as lost as the staff.

“good,” says lord lee. “now that everyone is here. there is a certain matter that needs to be discussed.”

“taeyong. will you step forward, please?”

johnny tries to conceal his surprise on his face but taeyong does not, he blinks, head whipping to his parents who are looking at him expectantly. he steps forward. “mother, what is—“

“you will not speak until i am finished, do you hear me?”

johnny has to press his lips together at hearing his lover being talked to like this. his alpha is growling but he has to calm down. now is not the time to make a scene. beside him, jaehyun is clenching his fists so hard it puts him even more on edge. the urge to hold his locket washes over him. taeyong nods, his brothers looking more confused than before.

“your father and i have been patient with you. so very patient but that patience is wearing thin. we have tried to let you find a nice, decent noble alpha to mate with but that search was seemingly obsolete, wasn’t it?”

everyone see’s the colour leave taeyong’s face. “i’m afraid i do not know what you mean.”

“please, do not play coy, taeyong it infuriates me at the best of times.” lady lee continues. “you’ve been sneaking out.”

oh no.

johnny feels himself tense but he tries not to show it. he tries to calm his pheromones down as he sees taeyong squirm and shake in fear. his two brothers frown at him but don’t look disgusted. mark looks confused while donghyuck looks almost…betrayed. the locket weighs heavy in his pocket.

“you’ve been sneaking out to-”

taeyong shakes his head, tears welling up in his eyes. the smell of candied orange smells burnt in johnny’s nostrils and it almost consumes him if not for the looming dread at what lady lee is about to say. “mother, please do not-“

“ _what_ did i say about interrupting me?” the loudness in her voice makes everyone jump in either shock or fear. poor yeri looks like she wants to cry herself. “you know, i wondered where this flippant attitude had come from. the disrespect for your family, the constant disappearing and the complete disregard of any suitor that wishes to be your husband.”

taeyong’s father speaks next. “so we had you followed.”

johnny feels physically sick. taeyong lets out a shocked little, ‘no’, shaking violently. he was caught, he couldn’t get out of this no matter how he tried to make it look. they had found out.

“we had you followed and we found you heading into town in a car. tell us what you were doing in town before we embarrass you further.”

“please, father, let me explain.” johnny desperately wants to reach out, take his hand and run. run far away. take sooyoung with them wherever the wind takes them. somewhere where they could be free to love each other and their daughter. somewhere where he doesn’t have to watch taeyong be humiliated in front of him.

there’s a quiet rage in the lord’s eyes that makes taeyong stop his excuses before they’ve even begun. “i went into town to…” he swallows. “to see my child.”

if the staff are shocked they can’t show it, but the other lee children are free to let out their emotions. mark’s eyes widen and donghyuck gasps, hand over his mouth. taeyong is so ashamed it’s palpable.

“and how do you see your bastard?’’ taeyong flinches. johnny feels his rage escalating. taeyong is more than humiliated. tears soak his cheeks and he’s shaking like a leaf. he can also feel the fear radiating from him. he knows what he’s thinking because he’s thinking it too. if taeyong was followed that means johnny might’ve been seen, it means they’ve more than likely seen kun and ten, which means they’ve seen where sooyoung is hidden.

and that puts her in danger.

jaehyun gives him a furtive glance before very slightly shaking his head. johnny needs to pay attention. it’s obvious they were brought here for something too. the lord and lady wouldn’t just bring them out of bed for this. something like this is too disgraceful in their eyes to be common knowledge.

“i get driven there.”

there’s silence for a few moments. save for taeyong’s sniffles, no one speaks. then, lord lee turns his attention to the house staff. “mr. heechul, do you know anything about this?”

mr. heechul shakes his head. “no, my lord, i was unaware of any of my staff aiding master lee.”

“i see.” he passes mr. heechul and all the house staff stand at attention. “i will give you one warning. whoever was aiding taeyong in visiting his bastard child, if you turn yourself in now or in the morning, you’ll get a formal warning. however, if no one turns in then the driving staff will be severed without pay and no food reference for your next job in service. do i make myself clear?”

“yes, my lord.” everyone says in varying quickness.

lady lee steps forward to taeyong, who’s still crying. his brothers refuse to meet his eye. “is the father of noble birth?”

“pardon?” taeyong says, a little shocked at her tone. she cups his cheeks. “if he is of noble birth this can all be undone. we can merely ask him to marry you and your child can inherit whatever estate he has. who was it, hm? a suitor at one of the banquets. an advisor that came through. they can be charming.”

johnny swallows hard. his nerves are on end. beads of sweat drip down his neck. taeyong has an opportunity to make this all better. to lie and claim sooyoung the daughter of another and be happy in that family. that would also mean johnny would never see his little joy again. he can’t let happen. he _won’t_ let that happen. he’s just about to step forward when taeyong shakes his head.

“no.”

her hands drop from his face like they’ve been burned. “i’m sorry?” she splutters

“her father is not of noble birth.” does taeyong look slightly proud? johnny’s not going to get into it. his mother and father on the other hand look so disgusted it makes taeyong shrink.

his father bellows. “you mean to tell me that not only do you bare a bastard child, but it’s with some peasant in the village?”

“i cannot believe how ungrateful and disgraceful you turned out to be. omega men are all the same. nothing but whores.” his mother slaps him. johnnys nails break the skin of his palms. “we do everything for you and this is how you repay us?” she turns to her two youngest. “from this day on, every move you make will be monitored. you will have an escort everywhere you go. we wouldn’t want another bastard to turn up, would we? boys, take your brother back to his room. mr. heechul.”

the butler is at her side at once. “see that something is done with the child.”

taeyong’s head whips round at her statement. “what did you say?”

the lady ignores him. “everyone dismissed.”

johnny feels frozen in his spot at what he just heard. what did she just say? jaehyun has to tip him slightly to move but he feels like he’s walking through molasses, everything’s in slow motion. from everyone leaving the hall to taeyong’s screams of, “don’t hurt her please. please, she’s my daughter, please, mother. please. you can’t, you can’t. let me see her, please, that’s all i ask!” as he’s being dragged out of the room by his father and brothers. johnny hears the echoes of more pleas as the doors close behind them.

once he’s downstairs he feels his breath quicken. he ducks into a cubby and pulls out the locket. he opens it and sees sooyoungs bright, innocent face. what were they going to do to her? they wouldn’t hurt her, would they? lady lee would hardly do something as despicable as hurt a baby. he brushes a thumb over her forehead, hidden under wisps of black hair. it looks like taeyongs. he closes his eyes in pain as he thinks about taeyong crying upstairs and he can’t protect him. he wants to be near his mate, he wants to be near his baby. he wants to be near his family. he has to protect them somehow.

and if he can’t protect taeyong. he will protect sooyoung if it’s the last thing he’ll do.

in a haze he runs to his room. he gets out a sheet of paper and begins to write. after he finishes he grabs his suitcase and begins packing everything he owns. it’s not much, just his uniform, casual clothes, a few accessories and most importantly, all the money he had in his room. he clipped the locket on his neck, letting it rest of his bare chest, before locking his suitcase and opening his door as quietly as he can. he knew everyone had gone back to sleep so he could just slip out the kitchen door and take off for the town.

he’s just out in the hallway when he gets halted by jaehyun already out there. his arms are crossed and he looks concerned. “and where do you think you’re going, hyung?”“i have to go. they already know where sooyoung is, i cannot have her taken from me. i can’t.”

johnny is still booking it for the backdoor, jaehyun following closely behind. “and what about taeyong?”

“if he were in my position he would do the same thing.” as they reach the door, johnny turns back and fishes the note from his pocket. “find a way to give this to taeyong. i promise this is the last thing i want to do, but it’s for sooyoung. it’s for our daughter.”“you’ll never be able to step foot in this house again. stealing away in the middle of the night makes you suspicious.”

johnny straightens, fixes him with a hard stare. “they threatened to hurt my daughter. they can go to hell.” he opens the door. “thank you jaehyun, for everything. i hope everything goes well for you.” jaehyun nods before bringing his friend into a quick but firm hug and soon johnny was sneaking out the backdoor and running down the path to the village.

— — —

rapid knocks wake kun and ten up. ten flicks on a light and groans. “what time is it?”“a little after three. go back to sleep love, i’ll see who it is.” kun kisses his husband on the cheek before slipping on his house slippers and rushing to the door. he peers into sooyoungs room who seems to be undisturbed by the racket outside.

he reaches the door, grabbing the gun they keep beside it for safety and sees a looming figure out the window. “whoever you are, i am armed.”

the figure puts up their hands. “kun, it’s me, it’s johnny.”

kun furrows his brow in confusion. “johnny? what’s wrong, why are you here so late?”

johnny barges in and looks into each room, before coming upon sooyoungs room and his lips curl into a fond smile. he rouses her, and instinctually she reaches for her father, who picks her up and lets her fall back asleep on his shoulder. “taeyong’s parents found out.” ten, who had come out to see what was going on, shook his head in shock. “i’ve come to take sooyoung so they can’t hurt her.”“what about taeyong, is he alright?” ten asks, wrapping his robe around him tighter. johnny sighs, inhaling some of his daughters scent for comfort. “no, they’ve got him under lock and key. i…i didn’t think.”

“no.” kun interrupted him. “you did what you could. all we can do now is make sure they don’t get their claws on sooyoung. do you have a safe place for the night?”

johnny nods. “my friend has an inn a town over and has a favour or two he owes me. it’ll be safe there.”

the couple nod before ten asks tentatively. “may…may we say goodbye?”

“of course.”

ten walks to them a presses a kiss on sooyoungs head. “uncle ten loves you, little one.”

kun brushes some hair out of her eyes. “make sure to cut her hair, she needs it.” and kisses her little hand. “take care, sweet one.”

they step back, before telling johnny to get her somewhere safe. “we’ll cover for you. they’ll lose the trail after us. now, go.”

and so he does. he takes sooyoung and leaves the little cottage in the Lee estate. it’s strange, bidding farewell to the place that was his home for so many years but he has to.

the walk will take some time but he will do it.

“i’ll do anything for you, my joy.” he whispers into her hair. “anything.”

he would burn down the world to protect his daughter.

**Author's Note:**

> unedited we die like men.


End file.
